Modern computing and mobile devices (smart phones, laptop computers, etc.) should be capable of physically connecting to and communicating with a wide variety of accessory devices (desktop computers, televisions, stereo receivers, etc.). Various communication interfaces are used to connect these devices and the physical connectors associated with the interfaces are usually incompatible. Thus, an electronic device may comprise several physical ports to allow connection to various accessories
Some physical connectors can support more than one communication interface. Typically, each pin of such connectors supports only one function (data in, data out, clock, etc.) of an interface. Thus, these connectors often have a large pin count and consume extra device real estate, a precious commodity in hand-held devices. These connectors also suffer from low pin utilization if only one interface is used. Thus, the extra space consumed may not be put to efficient use.
To accommodate modifications to existing interfaces or entirely new interfaces, the physical design of a connector can be modified. Redesigned connectors are often incompatible with the previous designs, resulting in older devices unable to communicate with newer ones. Retrofitting a new connector design into existing devices is often difficult as connectors are typically integrated into a device. Thus, older devices may require physical adapters or other specialized hardware to communicate with newer devices. Connectors can be designed with extra pins to allow for future support of new interfaces and functions, but this also increases connector size and the extra pins will remain unused until the new interfaces are developed.
Multiple communication interfaces have been integrated into a single physical connector. For example, the VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) DisplayPort Interoperability Guideline, Version 1.1a, sets a guideline for enabling interoperability between DisplayPort and other display standards through cable adapters. However, this approach relies on physical adapters to support the physical connection between multiple interfaces. Physical adapters can be more costly and complicate the connection scheme, especially for home users.
In addition, the accessories to which modem mobile computing devices are capable of connecting possess a wide-range of functionalities and are capable of performing a wide variety of functions.
Mobile computing devices, when purchased, may not be installed with the software or firmware required to support various accessories capable of being connected to the mobile device. Typically, mobile devices obtain the relevant program code, by loading it from storage media included with the accessory upon purchase, or by downloading the appropriate software or firmware from an online service provided by an accessory manufacturer, vendor, retailer or third party. Determining which software or firmware to install or download can require that the user manually supply identifying information about the device to the service, such as the accessory manufacturer, type, serial number or other features of the accessory.
Online services exist that offer goods and services for a wide array of mobile device accessories. A large number of goods and services can be presented by a single marketplace, but a user can limit the number of goods and services presented to them by typically manually providing search criteria to the service. However, the search criteria may not restrict the offered goods and services to the degree desired by the user. The number of search fields offered by the service may be too few, too many or may not include accessory attributes that a user wishes to use to restrict their search.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method of automatically detecting the availability of goods and services that are compatible with or related to an accessory attached to a mobile computing device.